Seed-separator.



D. c. MCCUNNELL. SEED SEPARATOR.

A APPLICATION HLED IAN. l2. l9l7 LQ@ R433., Patent Nov.. 20, 191'?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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n. c. MCCONNELL.

SEED SEPARATOR.

APPLRCATIQN FILED JAN. 12. 1 917.

mmm Nov. 20, 1911?.

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Smead/L6@ Y DRUSILLA C. MCCONNELL, 0F BELTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

` SEED-SEPARATOR.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

rat-rented nov. so, mit.,

Application filed January 12, 1917. Serial No. 141,970.

Y To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DRUsILLa CRossoN MCCONNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belton, in the county of Anderson and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a separator, for separating various types of seeds, such as cotton seeds, wheat, oats, or the like, so that the imperfect and inferior seed will be sepa rated from the perfect and more productive A seeds.

Another object of this invention is to provide a separator as specified which includes a supporting structure having a hopper carried thereby, which supporting structure y rotatably supports a shaft, upon which shaft is mounted a foraminous rotor or drum, which rotates with the shaft, and a feed screw which feeds the seed from the hopper into the drum; to provide a crank handle upon one end of the shaft for rotating the samewhich will cause, during the operation of the separator, the seed to pass through three separate and distinct motions during its passage through the rotary foraminous drum or cylinder, namely alternatinglyrolling, sliding and falling upon the screen, which motions are gone through with by each particle of substance, or each seed many times as it passes through the cylinder or drum, bringing it in contact with thescreen in many different positions, thus giving the seed an opportunity to pass through the screen if it will.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention consists in such novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved separator.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the separator,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the separator, and

Fig.` a is a. horizontal section through the separator.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1 designates the supporting structure of the separator as an entirety, which sup porting structure includes a plurality of vertical supports 2, and horizontal supports 3, which are connected to the vertical supports 2 in any suitable. manner, such as by bolts, screws or the like as indicated at a for forming a suitable substantial support or bracing structure. The vertical supports or legs Q are braced laterally of the supporting structure, by braces 5. The lateral braces 5a, or the uppermost laterally extending pair of the braces 5 have bearings 6 carried thereby which rotatably support a shaft 7. The shaft 7 is rectangularly shaped in cross section, with the exception of the portions which are rotatably seated in the bearings G, and it has a crank handle 8 formed upon one end of the same.

The vertical supports 2 which are positioned at the end of the frame- 1, which rotatably supports the end of the shaft which has the crank handle 8 formed thereon, extend upwardly above the upperl edge of the side boards 9 and form supports for a hopper 10, the bottom 11 of which is supported by the cross brac-e 5 and the upper edge of a board 12. The bottom 11 of the hopper is provided with a cutout portion 13 in which is mounted a trough 141. rIhe trough 111 extends through an opening 15 which is formed in the board 12. The bottom 11 of the hopper is provided with a cutout portion 13 in which is mounted a trough 1li. The trough 14 extends through an opening 15 which is formeel in the board 12 and through the central opening 16 of the end 17 of the rotary foraminous drum 1S. The rotary foraminous drum 18 comprises the inlet end 17, a plurality of longitudinally extending bracing strips 19 and a plurality of circumferentially extending circular braces 2O and 21. The brace 21 is attached to the outer end of the rotary foraminous drum 18. The mesh or screen 22 of the drum or cylinder is attached to the braces in any suitable manner, and the circular braces 21 and the ring 17 are braced by suitable bracing arms 23, which are attached to the rectangular shaft 7 and radiate therefrom, being attached to the in ner surface of the circular brace 21 and the ring 17 respectively, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

In Fig. l of the drawings, the mesh 22 of which the cylinder or drum is foriiiefdY isl constructed of three separate sectionsV 22?, 22h, and 22, the mesh of which sections vary, for instance the mesh of the section 22l ismuch finer than the mesh of the section 22h,

While the mesh of the latter section is finer'- sore7 25 mounted thereon Which extends through the hopper l0' and partway'intov the cylinder 22 for feeding the seed through' the trough l-t into the rotary cylinder.

. yWhen the seeds, such as cotton seeds or'the like are placed Within the hopper 10, and the rotation of the shaft 7 through the medium of the crank handle S Which-is formed thereon will rotate the feed screw oranger 25, and feed the seed fromrthe hopper through Y Vthe openings l5 and 16 into the rotary foraminous drum or. cylinder, which Will also be rotated Vby the rotation of the shaft; 8 through the medium of the braces 23 Which connect the outer foraminous surface of the drum or cylinder to the shaft 7. During the rotation of the foraminous cylinder or drum, the seeds Will travel longitudinally therethrough, andbe moved in a rotary manner, fall downwardly diametrically through the drum,` and travel longitudinally therethrough, which will present the seeds at several different angles to the openings in the mesh Work 22 of the cylinder, allowing all of the small and inferior seeds to fall through the openings upon the floor beneath the cylinder', while the perfect seeds Will travel through the entire length of the cylinder and out through its open delivery end.

When using the drumv as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the smallest or finest seeds Willfall through the mesh ofthe section 22, and the neXt finest seeds through perfect seeds Will travel out through the -open end of the cylinder. l

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of construction and of the method of operationof the limproved seed separator Will be'readily'apparentto those' skilled in the art -tko-V which thisinvention appertains, and While in',ther-*foregoing description, theprinciple of the` operationof this invention has beenk described.together.k with various features of. construction, it is to be understood that certain minor featuresof construction, combination Vand arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical Vconditions provided such alterations are comprehended Within the scope of what isclaimed. n v Y Y lVhat is claimed is: 1V In a seedvseparator,. a .supporting structure, a shaft rotatably carried by said sup porting structurea foraminated drum carried by said shaft, saiddrumcomprisingav plurality of longitudinally extendingicir cumferentially spaced braces having theirV ends secured tosaid' shaft, said braces having their portions intermediate their 'longi-j tudinally'pextending portions and their ends extending. inwardly toward theaxis and y transverse center of the foraminateddrump a plurality of` circular braces' attached'itosaid longitudinal braces at spacedintervals, a cylindrical screen attached to saidnbra'ces, a circular end plate mounted in the end of saiddrum and provided With a central open-4 ing, the opposite or outlet end of said drum'` being open.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence oftWo Witnesses. s DRUSILLAv C. MCCONNELL. vI'Vitnesses:l 1

IVALTER E. GREER,

H. It. CAMPBELL..

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the C!rimnprlssioner,oflatenti,4

Washington; GJ? n 

